‘All Things Agriculture’

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

New Minister Has Unique Farming Background

By Mary Loggan

Rob Flack was recently appointed Ontario’s new minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. With much discussion concerning Flack’s future plans, Better Farming explores the minister’s farming background to foretell how he will relate to Ontario producers.

Tell us about your background in agriculture.

“My earliest memories of farm life are being with my grandfather on his farms in the Ottawa Valley. While I didn’t grow up on a farm, I spent my summers working on dairy farms, which led to my deep desire to be part of all things agriculture.

“After graduating from the University of Guelph, and not having a family farm to go home to, I did the next best thing: I got a job in agribusiness as a sales trainee with a feed company.

“This led to a wonderful career in the animal nutrition industry as I learned the business from the ground up. I worked my way up the ranks and ultimately became the CEO of Masterfeeds Inc. and enjoyed growing the company with a great team throughout Canada.”

What first inspired you to pursue a leadership role in the industry?

“I believe in the saying, ‘to whom much is given, much is expected.’ Throughout my career I always encouraged our management team to have leadership roles in our numerous provincial and national associations. The very best part of leading our business was to see people grow and succeed. This included our employees, customers, dealers, and suppliers. Success breeds success, and creating the right environment for people to learn and grow is the best pathway for sustainable performance.”

Tell us about your current cattle operation.

“We have a beef farm in the Ottawa Valley. It is a cow-calf operation comprised of 50 cows. We have a skilled farm manager who runs the show. The farm consists of 200 acres of hay and pasture as well as timber (primarily white pine). We also rent another 100 acres of pasture.

“We primarily focus on marketing purebred seedstock along with commercial steer and heifer calves. Since entering public life, we do not get to the farm as often as we used to. However, it still my ‘home away from home,’ and I love every minute being there.”

How did running a large national agribusiness help you connect and relate to farmers?

“What I enjoyed most about my career was travelling throughout Ontario and Canada meeting with our customers and employees. I have always said serving farmers is a ‘belly to belly’ business.

“To succeed, you need to build strong relationships, meeting face to face on their turf. I learned more from my customers, farmers, and farm supplier than any other group of people.

“And the same is true today as your Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.

“The best way I can serve OMAFA stakeholders is to travel across our province to listen and learn about the concerns, issues, and opportunities facing agri-food in Ontario. And that is exactly what I plan to do.”

Do you have any advice for farmers or others in the industry wanting to take on leadership roles?

“The best advice I could offer any current or future leader is to surround yourself with the best talent you can find. The art of delegation is a learned skill and very important for all leaders to adopt. Always stay curious and explore any and all opportunities to innovate. Finally, stretch yourself and look for ways to serve your community and agribusiness-related associations.

“Talk to the multitudes of fantastic leaders we have in Ontario’s agri-food sector. They will tell you they all come back to their business after serving in another leadership capacity with a renewed sense of purpose and energy.” BF